Merab Dvalishvili is blowing up in weight just hours after hitting the 135 pound mark for his bantamweight title fight against Petr Yan at UFC 333.
Dvalishvili and Yan will fight for the third time after splitting their first two matches. Merab defeated Petr back in 2023, blanking the Russian 50-45 on all three judges’ scorecards. Petr would shock the world at the end of 2025, taking the belt off Merab at UFC 323 with a 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47 masterclass.
Dvalishvili has had to wait ten months for
the rubber match, but he’s looking rejuvenated and healthy following his long break from fighting. He hit the scales this morning in Abu Dhabi full of energy, making championship weight with apparent ease. And now he’s weighing 154 pounds just hours later after re-hydrating.
“It’s been only five hours since I made weight and I’m back already,” Merab declared in a new video on his social media accounts. “I’ve been drinking water, now let’s check how much I’ve gained in five hours. So I step on my scale. 19 pounds. In only five hours I gained back 19 pounds. That’s how we do. Let’s go!”
“Now I’m gonna start eating. Let’s go, it’s food fest, and tomorrow you guys already know who I’m gonna eat.”
That’s a reference to Dvalishvili’s trash talk during the UFC 333 press conference. When he and Yan met face to face on the stage, Merab declared “Talk now, enjoy. Saturday I will show you. I will eat you.”
We’ll see who eats who on Saturday afternoon. A little reminder: with UFC 333 taking place in Abu Dhabi, the main card starts at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. So don’t forget to tune in early and follow along with MMA Mania for all the highlights and news coming from the event.
